That'll Be Captain to You
by sentbyfools
Summary: AU. Captain Emma Swan tries to take the Jolly Roger. Things don't go as planned.
1. That'll Be Captain to You

**Title: **That'll Be Captain to You

**Summary: **Captain Emma Swan tries to take the Jolly Roger. Things don't go as planned.

**Notes: **I've had this fic gathering dust in my drafts for a while now, I thought I might as well finish it up since this Saturday's theme is Pirate!Emma. Also, the emblem on Emma's sail is inspired by her tattoo.

* * *

"I see a ship," Emma says, coming up behind her first mate.

"It's the Jolly Roger," Ruby comments, pulling away from the spyglass. "We should steer clear of them."

Emma's hard expression softens, turning into a smirk. "The Jolly Roger, eh? I think we should see just how tough Captain Hook and his crew really are."

Ruby gives her a wide-eyed look. "You're not seriously telling me that we're going to take his ship?"

"_We're _not doing anything. You're going to stay here and steer the ship. Me and the boys are gonna go do some damage."

"Why -"

"I need someone I can trust at the helm," Emma explains as she unsheathes her sword. _Yeah, still sharp._ "Someone who'll know when to cut and run."

"This is suicide, you know," Ruby says with a small smile.

"You say that every time," Emma says, winking. She then hardens her expression again and makes her way down the deck.

"Everyone to your places!" she cries. "We're taking that ship."

None of her men question her, and despite some wide-eyed glances shot her way, they all move to their positions.

When Ruby has steered them close enough to Hook's ship, her men down below start to fire cannons at ship. They're mere warning shots, barely grazing the hull. Emma isn't trying to destroy the ship, she's trying to divert their attention.

"Time to head over," she says, and when her men grapple over to Hook's ship, she leads the charge.

* * *

Killian sees the ship coming from far away, and is surprised when it doesn't look to be slowing down or sailing away from his ship. In fact, it seems to be coming closer.

That's when he notices the sails. The flower with six petals, that emblem was well known to seamen far and wide. Much like the sails of his Jolly Roger, it meant only one thing: Pirate.

"Captain Swan," he murmurs. He'd heard stories about the wicked and fearsome woman pirate, and it seems he'll finally get to see if those stories are true.

"Prepare for battle, men," he shouts. His men hasten to their positions, so by the time Swan starts firing on them, Killian's men are already firing back. Their hits don't actually hit too hard - they aren't close enough - and Killian wonders at that until the first man stumbles onto his ship.

_Shit,_ _I should've noticed_, he thinks as more men begin to fly over. Killian engages the first man that reaches him, slicing him cleanly through with his blade. The man falls to the ground and Killian doesn't wait to watch him die; he just moves on to the next man.

His men are battle-hardened, but Swan's men are giving them a good fight. As many men as Killian puts down, Swan does the same of his men.

And then finally, they come face to face.

_She's definitely a stunner,_ Killian thinks as he runs his blade against hers. She pushes it away with her sword, and then with a yell, their fight begins. _The stories are true,_ he thinks, as they fight. Their bodies move in sync; for every hit that Killian throws at her, she parries it away, and when she tries to hit back, he avoids her attack just as readily as she avoided his. They move back and forth over the deck. There's is plenty of room for them to move; the rest of the fighting has stopped. Both their men gather to watch their fight instead, Killian's men on one side, and Swan's on the other.

"Someone's taught you well," Killian says, voice rough from the taxing nature of their fight. "You have good form."

"Thanks," she grunts out before slamming her sword at him again. He captures it between his Hook and his sword, knocking her to the ground, flat on her back. She tries to stab at him, but her sword just slides between his hook. He smirks, thoroughly enjoying their new position and the expression of disbelief on Swan's face.

"Normally I'd prefer to do more enjoyable activities with a woman on her -"

Swan grins, releases her sword and yells, "Cut it! Cut the ropes now!"

She rolls from beneath him, leaving her sword dangling in his hold. Killian has just enough time to look up and see what she's running from before his sail comes crashing down on his and his men's heads.

* * *

"Back to the ship!" Emma yells after she is back on her feet. Her crew all grab ropes and hoist themselves back over to their ship. Emma waits until the last of her crew have made it over before trying to go herself, but by then Hook's men have disentangled themselves from their fallen sail. She grabs a hold of a rope, but drops it when a shot nearly goes through her hand. Emma raises her hands in surrender.

"There's a good lass," one of Hook's crew says. "Now walk down the steps and towards the Captain."

"Captain!" she hears someone yell from her ship. She sighs inwardly. Trying to take Hook's ship is definitely not the best decision she has ever made.

When she's within a foot of Hook, the same man says, "Stop."

"Thank you, Smee," Hook says, and then turns to her, grinning.

"Captain Swan," he greets her. "How lovely it is to finally meet you."

She glares up at him, saying nothing in return.

"Come now," he says. "There's no need to be shy."

That gets a rise out of her. "Shy?" she says. "Shy?" She lifts her head defiantly. "I'll show you just how shy I am when I run my sword through you."

Hook chuckles good-humouredly. "Now there's the woman I've heard so much about."

"You've heard only good things, I hope," Emma spits at him, grinning wickedly.

"Your reputation rivals even mine," he says. He walks over to her and lifts her chin with his hook, forcing her to look him in the eye. "However the victor is quite clear. You, my dear Swan, are no match for me."

"We'll see about that," she says. She twists her head to the side, out of the reach of his hook and knees him in the groin. Hook goes down hard, falling to his knees in agony. Before he can do anything to stop her, she pulls his gun from his waistband, cocking it at him.

* * *

His men finally think to move then, but Killian raises a hand to stop them. If they act, they'll probably only wind up getting him killed, and today is not the day that Killian plans to die.

"The great Captain Hook down on his knees for me. I like it," Emma says.

"Well if you wanted me on my knees, all you had to do was ask," Killian remarks casually, willing the pain in his groin to fade away.

She sniffs. "What's your real name, Hook?"

"Killian Jones," he says, watching as she makes her way to the top of the poop deck, gun still pointed at him. One of his men, a dumb one, starts to move towards her but doesn't get two paces before she shoots him down.

"The name's Emma Swan, Killian Jones, and that'll be Captain to you," she says, before lowering her gun and grabbing one of the ropes and sailing across the wide space between their ships. She lands on both her feet, and waves at him as she yells orders to her men.

"Should we give chase, Captain?" one of his men asks, trepidation in his voice.

Killian stands up, brushing the dust off his clothes. He watches as her ships sails away and goes over his options.

_Emma Swan_, he thinks, _now there's a pirate I'd like to have by my side._

"Get that sail fixed, boys. We've got ourselves a ship to catch!"


	2. The Way the Wind Blows

**Title: **The Way the Wind Blows

**Summary: **Sequel to "That'll Be Captain To You." Hook catches up to Emma and her ship and makes Emma an offer she can't refuse.

**Notes: **Working on a part 3 to this. Unbeta'ed. Any and all mistakes are my own, feel free to point them out.

* * *

"They're giving chase," Ruby says when Emma makes her way to the wheel.

"They're the fastest ship on the seas. We're not going to outrun them," Ruby continues, fixing her with a worried look.

Emma sighs, running a hand through her long blonde hair. "Yeah, yeah, I _know_, Ruby."

"I know," she repeats to herself. Ruby is right; they're not going to outrun the Jolly Roger. And in a way, Emma doesn't want to. Running away never really sat well with her.

"We'll fight," she says decidedly.

"What about a truce instead?" Ruby suggests.

Emma flips her hair over her shoulder and pulls out Hook's pistol to make sure that it is fully loaded. She remembers the way he looked at her, the glint in his eyes as he took note of her form. She brushes the image of his handsome face away and says, "Somehow I don't think a truce is what he has in mind."

"Get ready!" she shouts to her men. "We're going to have a fight on our hands."

They nod at her before getting into their positions. She doesn't have to tell them to arm the cannons or prepare their weapons. Her men are smart; they know what to do.

"You stay here, out of harm's way," Emma says to Ruby. Out of all her crew, Emma knows that Ruby is the best capable of taking care of herself, but still, out of all her crew, Emma likes her the most. If anyone is going to survive this battle, it better be Ruby.

"Whatever you say, Emma," Ruby says with a roll of her eyes and the hint of a smile.

* * *

"Don't kill anyone if you can help it," Hook tells his men as his ship catches up to Emma's. "And leave Captain Swan to me."

"Aye, but Cap'n," Smee starts.

"But?" Killian says, his voice low and dangerous as he fixes Smee with a look.

"Ah, it was nothing," Smee says, giving Killian a nervous smile.

Killian nods his approval, and then says, "That ship is ours!"

His men cheer in response and prepare for their assault. The cannons go off from Swan's ship, but they don't touch him or his ship. They aren't within range of the cannons, but they are within jumping distance.

"Over!" he shouts, and together with about half his crew, he heads over to other ship. He lands on both his feet on the deck and is immediately struck from behind. He swerves just in time to dodge the attack. One of his crew steps in between him and his attacker, and Hook turns his attention towards finding Emma.

"Captain Swan!" he shouts when his eyes finally locate her.

Shoving one of her men aside to get to her, Hook engages Emma in battle. He strikes out at her, not intending to actually cause her much damage. Her strikes are a lot more dangerous however, and he has to work to avoid a deadly swipe when she swings her sword in a arc above her head and brings it down on him.

Emma parries his responding blow and kicks out at him. Her foot connects with his chest, forcing him back against the railings of the ship. He thrusts his sword out at her and twists away from her next attack.

"Not that I don't love this, _Emma_," he says in between panting breaths, "but surely we could be doing something better with our time?"

"Better? Not likely," Emma says, trying to slam her sword down on his head. He deflects the hit.

"Trust me, I don't want to hurt you," he says.

Emma shrugs, says with a smile, "You gotta do what you gotta do," and fingers the gun on her waistband, _his_ gun. She could use it, end the fight now, but it just doesn't sit right with her for some reason.

"Having second thoughts on my offer?" he says, eying her hand's movements.

"I-" she starts to say, but he knocks her sword out of her hand with his next strike. She dives for her weapon, but he kicks her aside before she can grasp a hold of it.

She fumbles for the gun on her waist, but he raises his sword to her, pressing it gently against her covered belly and shakes his head.

"Stop boys!" he yells to his crew.

"Captain Swan?"

Emma knows that they're waiting for her command, but in the position she is in, the position she so recently had Hook himself in, their only option is quite clear.

"Stop," she says. "Weapons down."

She watches as her crew does what they're told, shakes her head when Ruby starts to move towards her. Emma then turns her attention back to Hook.

"I know the way the wind blows," he says, "and I'd say that it's blowing right towards you. What do you say? We'd make a great team."

Emma mulls this over for a moment. He is still standing over her, a smile on his face and with his hand now outstretched towards her. She could say no, pull out his pistol, and continue this fight. However, Emma knows which way the wind blows too, and something tells her that Hook is right: they would make a great team.

She grabs his hand, allowing him to pull her to her feet, and says, "So what does this partnership entail?"

"Anything you want, darling," Hook says, leering at her and giving her lascivious smirk.

"Anything I want..."Emma says, ignoring the suggestion in his smile and the heat it inspires in her. "What if I said I wanted the world?"

He spreads his arms wide, embracing the sky, and says, "Then the world you shall have. Together, we can do anything."

"Together," Emma echoes. "I like the sound of that."

"Oh, you'll like the reality of it a lot more," Hook says.

This time Emma responds to his words. She steps in closer to him so that her arm is brushing against his chest. She runs her fingers up his chest to the deep v of his vest. She slides her fingers against his skin, biting back the smirk at the way he closes his eyes when she touches him.

Slowly, she pulls her hand away. "Maybe I will," she says."Killian Jones, you've just made yourself a partner."

He grabs her hand in his, pulling her to him. "Well, It's about bloody time," he says, before capturing her mouth in a kiss.


	3. Masquerade

**Title: **Masquerade

**Summary: **Emma and Hook go after not-so buried treasure and they both get more than they bargained for.

**Notes: **Part 3, and this looks like it might actually turn into a long fic (like I need anymore of those). Unbeta'ed, any and all mistakes are my own, feel free to point them out.

* * *

Emma wriggles free of Killian's arms, pulling away from his kiss.

"Try that again and you'll get a sword in your side," she says, her words heated but not in the way she would like them to be. She feels flustered by the feeling of his lips against hers. Captain Swan _does not_ get flustered; the word isn't even in her vocabulary. Flirting with a pirate is a dangerous game, she knows that very well, so she either needs to step up or end it before it goes any further. It is a mark of how much Killian Jones has surprised her that she doesn't yet know what she wants to do.

Killian eyes her carefully, and then says, his tone dangerously sensual, "Feisty. I like that in a woman."

She rolls her eyes at him, pretending that his words don't affect her. He smirks at her knowingly and then says wistfully, "I'm sorry to have to leave you now, but my ship won't sail without its captain."

Emma has heard that rumor before, but she has never been able to confirm its validity until now.

"I'm stopping over at the nearest port to restock," Emma says. "You should do the same."

"Aye, I will," he says. He grasps her hand, raising it to his lips, and presses a kiss to her knuckles. "I'll see you on land."

Emma directs Ruby to pull her ship closer to Killian's ship and then Killian's men set up planks across the breach between their ships, allowing them to carefully walk over to the Jolly Roger. Killian blows her kiss before he disappears behind the railings of his ship.

"Weigh anchor and hoist the mizzen! Land here we come!" Emma shouts. Her men get to work. Ruby walks down from the wheel and placing her hands on her hips, fixes Emma with a look. Emma knows that look all too well.

"I'm not discussing it with you," Emma says in her most Captain-like voice. As usual, it doesn't work against Ruby's look and finally Emma says, "He was going to kill me, what else could I do?"

"Shoot him in the head?" Ruby says with a humoured grin, eyeing the pistol strapped to Emma's side.

"Perhaps, I'm bored of attacking and looting ships, and I want to try something new?" Emma says, trying a different tack.

"Like him?" Ruby says. "You could do worse. You _have _done worse."

"He's the most ruthless pirate on the seas, save for me of course. How much worse could I do?" Emma says. She isn't sure who she is arguing with, Ruby or herself.

Ruby shrugs. "At least he's on your level."

Emma shrugs too, and then becomes all business again. "Get back behind the wheel and set a course for the nearest port, Ruby."

"Sure, Captain," Ruby says, walking away.

Emma supposes she should be more annoyed by Ruby's insubordinate questions, but although Ruby is her first mate, she is also Emma's best friend, so Emma lets the less than helpful questions slide.

By the time they arrive at port, it is late at night. The Jolly Roger is already there, had speeded off past them an hour earlier, but Emma is surprised to see Killian waiting for them.

"Took you long enough," he says when Emma steps off her ship.

"Not all of us have the world's fastest sailing vessel beneath them," Emma says. She turns to her men who are climbing off the ship behind her and says, "Go ahead and get drunk off your asses. We won't be leaving for a couple of days."

They cheer and Emma rolls her eyes, humoured. She shifts her attention back to Killian who says, "Not the fastest ship in the world, the fastest ship in a hundred worlds."

Emma gives him an unimpressed look. "You haven't been to that many."

"Perhaps I have. I can tell you _all_ about them," he says, wiggling his eyebrows at her suggestively.

"How about you tell me what our next move is. You didn't stop here just because I told you to. You seem too full of yourself for that," Emma says.

He chuckles. "You have quite the mouth on you. But yes, you're right, I did have a reason for stopping here."

"There's a masquerade ball going on at Princess Ella's palace," he tells her.

"Ella," Emma says. She is glad that she doesn't tremble when she says the name.

"Yes, and I already have a carriage ready and waiting to get me to the palace."

"You're going to rob the treasury," Emma surmises.

Killian nods.

"And when is this heist occurring?" Emma asks.

"Tomorrow night," he says.

"It's a day's ride from here to there. You'd have to leave now to make it," Emma says.

"Good thing I have a dress already prepared for you then, right?" he says, grinning.

Someone taps her on the shoulder, and Emma twists to see Ruby standing behind her. Making a snap decision, Emma says to Ruby, "I'm going on a journey, so you'll be in charge until I get back. Make sure the crew doesn't drink itself dead, and if they don't listen...well, you know how to keep them in line."

Ruby raises an eyebrow at her, frowning slightly. "Where are you going?"

"It doesn't matter, I'll be back in two days. Keep the ship safe for me."

Ruby sighs and then grins at her. "With pleasure."

Emma turns back to Killian. "So where is this carriage?"

"If you'll follow me, lass," he says.

He leads her to an inn. Emma gives him a curious look. "What are we doing here?"

"Do you really want to change in the carriage?"

"Point taken," Emma says. "Which room?"

"Upstairs. There is a bath waiting and your dress is lying on the bed," Killian replies.

"Didn't take you long to warm up to this partnership," she says.

Killian merely smiles and waves her inside the inn.

Emma bathes, happy to get the grime of the sea off her skin, and changes into the dress quickly. There's a mask to match lying next to the dress, but she doesn't put it on just yet. Nor does she apply the lipstick lying underneath it; it would just look awful by the time they arrived at the ball. No, she'd do it in the carriage.

"Let's leave," Emma says when she comes down the stairs and finds Killian waiting. He has changed into formal wear as well, and he looks good.

"Wow," he says. "You clean up well, though I must say, I miss the pants."

Emma gives him a tightlipped smile. "Don't press your luck. Now let's go."

She walks out of the inn and heads towards the carriage parked outside, accurately assuming that it is the one to take them to the ball. Killian helps her inside.

Emma falls asleep as soon as she gets in the carriage and sleeps most of the ride to the ball. She hadn't realized how tired she truly was until she went to sleep with the sun just starting to rise and woke up to the night sky.

"Look alive, sleeping beauty. We're almost there," Killian says softly. He'd shaken her awake. Emma stops herself from startling at his touch, and sits up gingerly.

She yawns, stretching her well-rested limbs, and then goes to apply her makeup. Killian watches her with an odd expression on his face. Finally, just as she is putting on her mask, she says, "What?"

"It'll never stop amazing me how women always know how to do that so well," he says. "Especially in a moving carriage."

The carriage decides to emphasize his point by jumping up as it rolls over a bump. Emma grins at him.

"It's one of our many, _many_ talents," she says.

"No doubt," Killian agrees, putting on his mask. Looking out the window of the carriage, he says, "We're here."

They arrive at the ball just in time. The last of the guests are arriving as well. The carriage driver steps down and opens the door for them. Killian exits first and helps Emma down from the carriage. It is chilly out, and Emma is grateful for that. The carriage was unpleasantly warm.

"Ready, darling?" Killian murmurs, his hand still clasped around hers.

"I've never been more ready in my life," Emma replies. She allows him to lead her up the stone stairs and through the doors of the palace. The guards don't ask them to take of their masks as they enter, and Emma rolls her eyes at their stupidity even though she is grateful for it.

They follow the rest of the guests to the main hall. When they enter, Emma's eyes have to take a few moments to adjust to the bright lights and colourful dresses. Music flows through the hall, and for a moment, memories rush through Emma's mind, clouding her vision. She snaps out of it quickly though. Everyone is dancing and Emma watches as the couples that followed them into the hall join the fray.

"I suppose we'll have to dance," she says to Killian.

"I suppose we will. Don't worry, I won't step on your toes," he says with a wink.

They step on the dance floor and embrace. Killian leads Emma in the dance. He grins at her and Emma stares into his blue eyes as she follows his lead. It isn't long before Killian grows restless.

"Want to cut out of here?" he says so only she can hear.

"In a moment. We can't leave too soon, now can we? We've only just arrived," Emma says quietly.

He dips her and they follow the motions of the rest of the dance. Emma can't lie to herself and say she doesn't enjoy it. He is an excellent dance partner, and his hand is a comforting warmth, tucked into hers. She can almost imagine what it might feel like moving against him in other ways, and is happy when the dance concludes and she can break away from his embrace. She doesn't need thoughts like that now. Maybe later. Maybe after they'd left the ball and were safe back at their ships. She smiles to herself as they move through the crowd. She follows Killian, eyes travelling up his form, and thinks, _definitely later._

The guards at the door leading to the rest of the castle give them weird looks as they walk past them. Emma pulls Killian towards her, giggling and says loud enough for the guards to hear, "Darling, I cannot wait to get you out of this."

The guards blush and let them pass without asking any questions. Emma rolls her eyes at them yet again. _Idiots_.

They pass more guards in the hall, but Emma's tactic of pretending to be in lust with Killian's body wins them over every time. When they reach the hall to the treasury, Emma is surprised to find it without guards.

"Let's get in and get out," Emma whispers. She doesn't want her words echoing in the empty halls.

Killian nods at her and picks the lock to the door to the treasury cautiously. It isn't long before an audible click is heard as the lock is forced open.

He opens the door just as cautiously as he unlocked it. The door doesn't creak, and Emma thanks goodness for palace cleaners. The treasury is large, larger than she thought it would be. Emma heads towards the back, to the large silver chest while Killian heads for the pile of jewels on the right.

Emma uses one of her hairpins to pick the lock on the chest. Quickly, she searches through it for anything she might fancy. She sees a diamond studded tiara that is just her type. When Emma lifts up the tiara to pocket it, she catches sight of a compass lying beneath it. She picks it up, turning it over in her hands.

"A compass?" Emma says, staring at the bronze item curiously. There are initials emblazoned on the back but Emma can't make them out, they are so worn.

"Hmm?" Killian says, coming up behind her. He leans over, wrapping his arms around her to take the compass and her hands in his. "This _is _curious."

_He smells good,_ Emma thinks and presses herself against him. She shouldn't be doing this, especially not now, but with the danger surrounding their exploit, Emma feels that since she is already taking one risk, she might as well take another one.

"Emma," he says softly, his breath ghosting over the bare skin of her neck.

In the distance, Emma can hear footsteps heading their way. She twists out of his hold, grabbing up both the tiara and the compass.

"Got the goods?" she asks when she turns her attention back to Killian.

He waves the small bag in his hands. "Got 'em."

"Then let's go," Emma says.

"Hold it!" a guard shouts when they enter the main hall. Killian frowns and is about to start trying to use his charms to get the guard to back off, except the guard walks right past him, heading towards Emma instead.

"Is something wrong?" she says sweetly, so sweetly that even Killian might have believed her if he didn't know who she really is.

"You dropped this?" he says, holding up a small dagger.

Emma doesn't even blanche. Instead she smiles, and says, "Oh, but why would I be carrying that?"

"I saw- but -" the guard stutters.

Emma hushes him with another smile. "Thank you for your concern, but I really must return to the ball."

She curtsies; she actually curtsies before turning and making her way through the crowd. Killian follows behind her, and when the next guard stops her, he thinks that she'll get out of it just as easily as she did before.

"You're not a party guest, are you?" the guard says, menace clear in his features.

Emma gives him a puzzled smile. "I'm sorry, but you must be confused."

The crowd around them starts to take notice, and Killian can see people and more guards trying to make their way towards them. Killian doesn't move as another guard pushes past him.

"Take off your mask," the guard says.

"No," Emma says, shaking her head. "Do you treat all guests in such a rude and disrespectful manner?"

"Take off your mask," the guard repeats again.

"I won't."

Before she can do anything to stop it, one guard comes up behind her, grabbing her by the arms, and another steps forward and her mask is whisked off her face. Killian watches it fall to the floor as someone behind her lets out a gasp.

"Emma?"

"Time to go," Emma says, aiming her words at Killian. She slams her head back against the man holding her, taking him off guard enough so that he releases her arms. She pulls out his sword from its scabbard. The man takes large steps backwards to avoid the blow, walking into the woman who called Emma's name.

"Emma!" another voice, this time male, shouts. Emma ignores him just as she ignored the woman, and Killian takes that moment to join Emma in her fight as more guards appear, threatening to encircle her.

"Sorry mate, but that one's mine," he says, kicking one of the guards in the back of the knee, sending him sprawling. He elbows another in the throat when he tries to attack Killian from behind.

"Emma, stop this right now," a woman, no not just any woman, _Princess Snow White_, says, cutting through the ring of guards. Killian ducks down under the blow of another guard's sword, not daring to take his eyes off of Snow, curious as to how she knows Emma.

"Come home," Snow White says and then the pieces fall into place, how Snow White knows Emma Swan - because Emma Swan isn't just any Emma. _The lost princess_.

"I've got places to be," Emma says, and punches another guard in the face, knocking him out cold. Killian sees the glint of metal in her hand, the compass. Smart lass.

"Time to go," Emma says again, running over to him and grabbing him by the wrist. She pushes his head down with one hand, with the other she swings her stolen sword at a guard aiming to cut off Killian's head. The crash of metal on metal rings in Killian's ears as their swords connect.

"Emma!" the man who called her name earlier shouts. Killian and Prince Charming lock eyes.

"You - you stole our daughter!" he accuses.

Killian, not liking where this headed, says to Emma, "You're really right. It is _definitely_ time to go."

Together, Emma and Killian push their way through the sea of guards and make their way out of the hall. They end up at a dead end hall.

"Crap," Emma says. Killian turns to see the guards waiting for them at the other end of the hall.

"Just come quietly, Princess Emma," one of the guards says.

"Not likely," Emma says. She runs towards the window, unclasping the lock on it. Killian follows behind her, looks out the window to see that the drop isn't very far and his eyes catch sight of the stable below.

He and Emma lock eyes, an understanding passing between them. Emma drops her sword and Killian helps hoist her on to the ledge, her billowing dress snagging on the railing. Emma tears the rest of it off ruthlessly, leaving her bare legs open to Killian's view. Killian whistles.

Emma rolls her eyes. "See you at the bottom," she says, jumping out the window.

"You!" a shout rings through the halls, Charming showing up just as Emma disappears into the night. Charming turns to the guards, shouts, "What are you doing? Go get him!"

Killian turns on his heel and pulls himself onto the window ledge. He makes the jump and lands hard on his feet. Pain radiates up his body but he ignores it, laughing at the sight of the guards staring at them from the window, mouths gaping.

"Night, boys!" Killian yells.

"Oh, hurry up," Emma shouts from the stables.

When he reaches it, he sees that there is only one horse there. He mounts the horse and helps pull Emma up behind him. They race through the stable doors and into the night, travelling down the well-worn road.

"Too bad we had to leave the carriage," Killian says wistfully. He turns the horse towards the woods, leaving the road behind him. It'll be too easy to track them if they take the road, and Killian isn't keen on being followed.

"A pirate princess, what a tale you must have," Killian says, laughing heartily as the horse beneath them jumps over a fallen tree branch.

"Shut it," Emma says and tightens her grip around his waist as the horse makes yet another jump.

"No, I don't think I will," he says. "I heard tales of the runaway princess, but I'd never thought I'd wind up with her holding on to me for dear life."

"Laugh it up," Emma says. "See if I don't leave you here."

"You could try," he says dangerously.

"I could try a lot of things," Emma says, suddenly much closer, her mouth flush against his ear.

"Oh," he smirks, twisting just enough in his seat on the horse to catch a look at her face out of the corner of his eye. She is grinning wickedly, and he knows that she is doing this on purpose, to distract him from his questions.

"That won't work, _milady_," he says.

"Won't it?" she says with a grin.

"No," he says, and turns back in time to see the large tree branch before it hits him in the face.

He goes flying backwards, his mask falling off his face, and he pulls Emma with him. They topple off the back of the horse and fall to the ground hard in a tangle of limbs.

"Not exactly the way I wanted to get you on your back," Killian mutters as he disentangles himself from Emma. She stands up, apparently uninjured.

"Don't you start," Emma says and helps him to his feet.

"This is all your fault," Killian says as they watch the horse speed off, disappearing through the forest.

"My fault? You should've been paying attention to where you were going," Emma retorts.

"I'm the one who got the brunt of the abuse here," Killian says, rubbing the bruise on his scalp from where the tree smacked him. "And it is your fault. If you hadn't been whispering in my ear, I would've been able to pay attention."

"Maybe you should try thinking with the brain in your head next time," Emma says, walking over to him.

"Next time," he says, inclining his head at her. "So we're still partners, eh?"

"I should just drop you," Emma says softly. She closes the distance between them, pressing her fingers gently to the bruise on his head. "Your plan has only gotten me into trouble so far."

"Mmhmm, you should probably abandon me," he agrees. "I'll only get you into more trouble."

"Well, maybe I like trouble," Emma says. She pulls her hands away from the bruise, sliding it down his cheek to brush her fingers against his scruff. She presses her other hand to his other cheek and angles his head towards her. Slowly, she touches her lips to his, capturing his mouth in a soft and tender kiss. Killian has never been kissed this way before, and he isn't quite sure how to react. He is just getting into the kiss when she moans into his mouth and presses her hand against his chest. He is about to pull her against him when she pulls away.

"We should get going. We've a long trek ahead of us," she says decisively. She doesn't even seem affected by the kiss.

"But -" he says. He finds he is at a loss for words, the way she kissed him leaving him almost breathless.

"Is the great Captain Hook flustered?" Emma asks with a smirk. _A joke_. She thinks that making him feel this way is a joke. A dark grin spreads across his face, and he watches as her satisfied expression leaves her face.

"Let's go then," he says and starts walking in the direction of their ships, the grin still in place. Oh, he is going to get her back for this, and he'll get her good, but for now they have things to do.


End file.
